A new museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of the Cuban exile experience could open in South Florida in four years if developers have their way.

Directors of the Cuban Exile History Museum kicked off a fundraising campaign and promotion Sunday during a lavish luncheon aboard Oceania Cruises' Riviera cruise ship docked at PortMiami.

After more than 10 years in planning, the project is moving closer to fruition in downtown Miami on a waterfront site east of American Airlines Arena.

But some hurdles remain.

"We have to raise $125 million," said Nicolas J. Gutierrez Jr., board director and secretary, to roughly 200 people gathered for the fundraiser. "We need to formalize our operation."

Fundraising levels range from $1,000 to $100,000, with another category for "other."

The money will be used for construction, an endowment and exhibits, Gutierrez said.

A final agreement with Miami-Dade County staff on the project and site plans also are pending, but directors hope to iron that out before the end of the year, which would allow them to meet their goal of a grand opening on Jan. 1, 2019.

Last July, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to allow Mayor Carlos Gimenez to negotiate an agreement with the board of directors to develop the museum on a waterfront site known as Parcel B.

The 80,000-square-foot museum will have four levels and a translucent roof system, Robert Chisholm, the project's Miami-based architect, said during a slide presentation Sunday. It'll also feature a visitor center, retail and restaurant space, a 300-seat theater, research library, meeting rooms and a 150-slot parking garage.

In addition to being a draw for locals, the new museum is expected to attract many of the millions of tourists who visit South Florida annually.

Oceania Cruises' founder Frank Del Rio — and the new president and CEO of its parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — has been a key supporter of the museum, whose tagline is "From Tyranny to Freedom."

Del Rio's family fled the Communist island after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion when he was almost 7 years old. They landed in Miami in late August 1961.

"Our story of the last 55 years must be told, must be memorialized, must be shared," Del Rio told people in Sunday's welcome address. "History is forever, but memories fail, so it's up to all of us to make sure we build a permanent repository to showcase for all to see our remarkable victories against all odds."